The secret to building a retail product program

Christina DeBuskOctober 2, 2017

According to a survey by Chiropractic Economics, 92 percent of the DCs who responded to their online survey currently sell at least one product in their practice.

The remaining nine percent showed interest in creating some sort of retail supplement program, although they hadn’t taken that step just yet. In an industry that the Council for Responsible Nutrition has analyzed in depth and determined was $122 billion as of 2016, entering the retail supplement space as a DC can really boost your revenues.

That’s not to mention the other retail products you can sell that help your patients achieve higher levels of health and wellness, such as kinesiology tapes, essential oils, or whatever line of goods you find relevant in your particular area of chiropractic specialty.

But how do you create a chiropractic retail product program that is capable of giving you a good side business?

Celebrate more holidays

Have you ever noticed how sales naturally pick up at Christmas? Instead of waiting for big holidays like that to arrive, the financial experts at The Balance suggest that you create your own holiday-like celebration to get your patients excited about your product line at other times of the year.

For instance, September 24th is National Cherries Jubilee Day, making it a great time to highlight and celebrate your cherry-based juices and supplements. The first Wednesday in October is National Walk to School Day. That makes that day (or week) a perfect opportunity to boost your sales of products that promote joint health.

Subscribe to an online site like National Day Calendar and they’ll send you upcoming “holidays” like these in an email. They also have all of the celebratory days listed right on their site, making it super easy to create your retail holiday strategy several months in advance.

List your products online

Pew Research Center conducted a survey and found that eight out of ten adult shoppers in the U.S. buy online. Therefore, another way to move more retail products is to include them in your online marketing strategy.

Even if they can’t purchase the items direct from your website, at least you’ve increased awareness that you have them in your office and they can pick them up on their next visit. This is especially helpful if your display isn’t in an easy-to-see place, such as positioned behind your office staff.

Additionally, write short blogs about how your products can enhance health or improve wellness and share them on your social media pages. Educate your followers about the way they provide pain relief, ease bothersome symptoms, or promote health. The more you can get people interested in how the product works, the more likely it is you’ll make the sale.

Create an amazing chiropractic retail display

Take a moment and step outside your office. Now, walk back in the front door as if you were a patient who was there for his or her very first visit. Do you even notice the product display case? If you do, does it dazzle you enough to want to walk over and check it out?

Creating an amazing product display will entice more patients to look at your products, which is the first step. At a minimum, it may at least spark a discussion about a particular product and how it works or how it helps, giving you the opportunity to make the sale.

To do this, Shopify recommends that you come up with a display that resonates with your target market’s lifestyle. For instance, if your patients are athletes, what about creating a display in the shape of someone shooting a hoop or throwing a football? Doing a quick Pinterest search on “creative product displays” can give you some ideas if creativity isn’t your strong suit.

Shopify also reminds that “people have 5 senses, not 1.” So, instead of focusing on just what they see when they look at your display, try to tantalize some of their other senses as well. Play soft music near your products to put patients at ease when browsing your product line or let them satisfy their sense of touch by having samples there that they can try.

Building a successful retail product program takes some time, but follow these suggestions and you’ll be well on your way to increased sales revenues from this portion of your business. That makes it time well spent.